Nagato's Pain(attempt 2)
by Danny vs A Month
Summary: NagatoXKonan one-shot. Much shorter but better than my last version.


I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters. This is the better/shorter version that I should have done to begin with.

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True Pain

Pein looked sideways again, seeing Konan glance at him again before looking away. He was using Yahiko's body at the moment so he shouldn't have been surprised that Konan's thoughts would be dwelling on the past. Or that his would be dwelling on a memory a bit earlier than that.

"I'm sorry," He suddenly said without having meant to speak at all.

"What?" Konan questioned, confused.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I know that...I know it's hard for you to see me using Yahiko's body. I'm sorry. It should have been me. It was my fault."

"N-no!" Konan gasped, shocked that he blamed himself rather than Danzo. "Yahiko chose to save us. It was never your fault."

"You're wrong," he said simply. "I want you to give Yahiko the funeral he deserves. Then I want you to leave. You don't need to be a part of what we're doing. I will die and burn in Hell for what I've done. You don't need too. You should go out and find a life.'

"My life is with you," Konan stated. "I'm not going to leave my best friend now. I don't want to lose you too."

"Is that it?" Pein questioned, voice thick with more pain than Konan can remember ever seeing him in, even immediately after Yahiko's death. "Is that all I am?"

"What do you mean?" Konan questioned.

"Do you have any idea what you are?" Pein questioned. "What you've always been?"

"What...what do you mean?" Konan questioned.

"Yahiko was always all you could see," Pein sighed smiling but clearly struggling under the weight of his pain.

"Nagato, what are you talking about?" Konan questioned.

"What am I to you?" Pein questioned. "What have I ever been?"

"You...you're...like a brother to me," Konan answered, blinking in surprise.

"That's what I thought," Pein sighed. "Give Yahiko his funeral. I'll be waiting when you return."

Konan nodded and Pein lay on his back, closing his eyes. Then, all of the chakra receivers pushed out of his body and fell to the ground. Konan took Yahiko's body away and built him a funeral pyre then laid him to rest. Then, she returned to her and Pein's room and found a man with long red hair waiting with his back to her. This one had no chakra receivers and it took Konan a moment to realize who it was.

"Nagato?" Konan questioned. "You're...you?"

"I had the chakra receivers removed almost a week ago and was being nursed back to health," Nagato stated. "Do you remember my face?"

"Of course I do," Konan stated.

"Do you?" Nagato questioned. "When you here my voice, do you not see Yahiko's face now?"

"I..." Konan trailed off realizing that he was right.

she did have trouble remembering Nagato's face and his voice did bring images of Yahiko's.

"I ask again," Nagato began turning around to face her. "Do you have any idea what you are?"

"I...don't understand," Konan blinked.

"No? What is it that the villagers here call you...Lady Angel?" Nagato recalled. "Well, that name is more fitting than you realize."

"Nagato, please stop speaking cryptically," Konan pleaded. "What do you mean, and what is it that has you suddenly so much more pained than even Yahiko's death did?"

"Fine," Nagato sighed. "To me, you were so much more than a friend or sister. You saved my life the first time we met. You took me in without question, even arguing it with Yahiko, who you loved, even then. You were...you were my guardian angel. As we grew, I came to realize that I was so wrong about you. You weren't just my guardian angel, you truly were an Angel in human form. I wanted nothing more than to make you happy. I fell in love with you."

"You..." Konan trailed off, tears beginning to leak from her eyes.

"But then I learned that you and Yahiko were already together," Nagato continued. "I...I was hurt. Had Yahiko not made you happy, I likely would have left. But he did. Around anyone else, myself included, you glowed. But around him, you shone. You were so happy around him that you were always walking on air. And so I stayed. I stayed to protect the two of you. I wished for you to stay happy. And I failed. When Yahiko died, he took your light, your happiness, with him. Since he died, I have not seen you smile for even the briefest of moments. You and Yahiko should have been together forever. When Hanzo took you, I should have done whatever it took to stop him and save you. When He gave me the choice, I was going to claim to have been the leader from the shadows, then kill myself. Once again, I failed. I should have been the one to die. Instead, Yahiko took his own life to save you."

"It wasn't your fault," Konan stated, tears streaming down her face. "Yahiko knew what you would choose. Yahiko made the choice for you. He knew that only you could save me and that only you can realize Yahiko's dream."

"Whether I can or not is irrelevant," Nagato stated. "I'm done. And you are free. I want you to leave and start a life somewhere. Be happy. All that waits here for you is pain. Go. Please. Find your light again."

Konan closed her eyes and covered her mouth sobbing silently with everything from guilt to relief. Nagato's head fell and he walked to the balcony at the front of the tower. He looked down and saw several dozen pipes sticking up from the building below him and smirked at his luck being good for that one act. Before he could jump, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him away from the edge.

"Please," Konan sobbed.

"Konan," Pein sighed turning to face her.

Just as he got turned around, her lips met his. he blinked in surprise for a moment, before kissing her back. After a few moments, both pulled away and Konan began to sob again.

"Please," Konan repeated. "Please forgive me. I never meant you any pain. I had no idea I was hurting you. Please don't send me away. I can't live without you. Please!"

Nagato pulled her into a gentle hug and allowed her to sob into his shoulder. After a few moments, he forced her to look him in the eye.

"Konan, I will never send you away," Nagato smiled. "You never needed to ask to be forgiven."

Konan began to sob anew but smiled and kissed him again. Pain kissed her back then hugged her again smiling. Perhaps the world wasn't as bad as he thought. Perhaps peace was possible after all without violence. But for the time being, he was content to just stay where he was, holding the angel he had loved his entire life, holding _his_ angel.

"There it is," Nagato whispered after a while making Konan look up at him in confusion.

"What?" Konan questioned.

"Your light," Nagato replied smiling.

Konan blinked then began to laugh. Nagato joined in after a moment and they stayed like that for a long while. Yes, the world was a much better place than he believed.

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